The End of WWII

1. The End of WWII Holocaust & Outcomes of WWII

2. What is genocide? • The systematic and purposeful destruction of a racial, political, religious or cultural group.

3. Why did Germany target the Jews? • Before the 19th century, most anti-Semitism was primarily religious in nature. • Racial anti-Semitism became the dominant form of anti-Semitism from the late 19th century on with the idea that Jews themselves were racially inferior & worthy of animosity. "The God of the Jews is Money. And to gain money, he will commit the greatest crimes. He will not rest until he can sit on the largest sack of money, until he becomes the King of Money."

4. Why did Germany target the Jews? • The Nazi anti-Semitic program quickly expanded beyond mere speech. Starting in 1933, repressive laws were passed against Jews, culminating in the Nuremberg Laws which removed most of the rights of citizenship from Jews, using a racial definition based on descent, rather than any religious definition of who was a Jew. Sporadic violence against the Jews became widespread with the Kristallnacht riots, which targeted Jewish homes, businesses and places of worship, killing hundreds across Germany and Austria.

5. Kristallnacht November 9 & 10, 1938 – Nazi mobs destroyed 7, 500 Jewish shops and businesses, burned 275 synagogues. Jews were beaten in their homes and on the streets. It was called the “night of broken glass”.

6. Hitler’s “Master Race” • In Mein Kampf Hitler set forth his belief in a “master race”. He claimed that the Germans were the master race, and Jews, Slavs and Gypsies were inferior and should be destroyed.

7. Hitler’s Final Solution • The only way to rid Germany and the world of these inferior races was to destroy them. So they were rounded up and sent to concentration camps.

8. Hitler’s march through Europe • As Hitler conquered more territory he was followed by special units – the SS. Led by Himmler, they murdered civilians as they marched. • At first, Jews were rounded up and settled in Ghettos. By 1942, they were sent to death camps.

9. Auschwitz, Buchenwald • Jews were herded in to cattle train cars and taken to the death camps. • Once there they were sorted into those who could and could not work.

10. Other Examples of Genocide in the 20th Century • From 1915 to 1917 the Ottoman Empire forced mass evacuation and related deaths of hundreds of thousands or over a million Armenians.

11. Other Examples of Genocide in the 20th Century • Josef Stalin - Stalin attempted to suppress all opposition through a bureaucratic and arbitrary network of terror. Scholarly estimates of the death toll under Stalin's leadership vary widely, with the average numbers about 26 million over a period of some twenty-three years.

12. Other Examples of Genocide in the 20th Century • Pol Pot in Cambodia - from 1976-1979, During his time in power Pol Pot created an aggressive regime of agricultural reform, designed to create a utopian Communist society which was known for repressing intellectuals. Today the excesses of his government are widely blamed for causing the deaths of up to two million Cambodians.

13. Other Examples of Genocide in the 20th Century • Tutsi and Hutu in Rwanda - The Rwandan Genocide was the slaughter of an estimated 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus, mostly carried out by two extremist Hutu militia groups, during a period of 100 days from April 6th through mid-July 1994.

14. Other Examples of Genocide in the 20th Century • Muslims and Croats by Bosnian Serbs in the former Yugoslavia - after the fall of the dictatorship of Tito, the many different ethnic groups started fighting one another – some for power, some for revenge. The removal of Muslims and Croats became known as “ethnic cleansing”.

15. Outcomes of WWII • Many powers faced independence movements in their Empires England) or lost their empires due to losing the war (Japan). • War crimes trials were held in Nuremberg, Germany. Nazi leaders were put in trial for crimes against humanity.

16. Turning Points • The Battle at Stalingrad was the turning point of World War II in Europe. • It was the first of many losses for the Germans. • It signaled their downfall and eventual defeat.

17. Turning Points • The Battle of Midway was the turning point of World War II in the Pacific. • This guerilla island hopping battle was the first of many decisive victories that the Allied powers gained against Japan. • The win at Midway allowed the Allies to advance into Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

18. Minorities in World War II • Tuskegee Airmen- The first all African American pilots. Fought amazing air battles in some of the worst battles of the War. • Navajo code-talkers- Native Americans who spoke their native Navajo language so that the Central Powers couldn’t crack the code and know the strategy of the Allies. • Japanese Internment- After the attack at Pearl Harbor many Japanese-Americans were put in camps because Americans were afraid that they were spies for the Japanese and would start killing Americans.

19. Outcomes of World War II • Many European powers lost their empires due to losing the war or independence movements. • War crimes trials were held in Nuremberg, Germany. Nazi leaders were put on trial for crimes against humanity, including the Holocaust. • The United Nations was established as an international cooperative organization to prevent future wars and conflicts. • The United States and Soviet Union became the 2 major powers in the world, leading to the Cold War.

20. Outcomes of World War II • Europe was divided between communist and democratic nations by the Iron Curtain (a term coined by Winston Churchill)-an armed border between Eastern and Western Europe • Western Europe and the United States formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the Eastern European nations (communist) joined the Warsaw Pact • The United States passed the Marshall Plan which loaned money to European nations to rebuild after WWII.

21. Reconstruction of Germany and Japan • Germany was divided among the 4 victors of the war – the idea being that they would rule together. • The reality was that Germany was to become a dual country – East (Communist) and West (Democratic). Berlin, as the capital was divided as well.

22. Reconstruction of Germany and Japan • August of 1945 atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. This ended WWII. • More than 200,000 were dead, missing or wounded. • After the war, Hideki Tojo was sentenced to death for war crimes.

23. Reconstruction of Germany and Japan • After WWII, Japan was occupied by the United States under General Douglas MacArthur. • Japan’s offensive military capabilities were eliminated – the US guaranteed Japan’s security. Japan quickly rebuilt and emerged as a dominant economic power in post-war Asia.